Adonoy said to Aharon: “You, your sons, and your father’s house with you will bear the sin of the Sanctuary, and you, and your sons with you will bear the sin of your kehunah.

Also, your brothers, the tribe of Levi—the tribe of your father—bring to you, and they shall join you, and serve you, you and your sons with you, before the Tent of Testimony.

They shall guard their duties to you and all the duties of the Tent, but to the holy furniture or to the Altar they must not approach, that neither they, nor you, shall die.

They shall join you and guard the duties of the Tent of Meeting—all the service of the Tent, but a commoner, [a non-kohein] should not approach you.

You shall discharge the sacred duties and the duties of the Altar, so that there will be no more wrath on Bnei Yisroel.

Behold, I have brought your brothers the Levites from among Bnei Yisroel, given to you as a gift—for [before] Adonoy—to perform the work of the Tent of Meeting.

You and your sons with you shall guard your kehunah [duties] regarding the Altar and all that is within the Curtain—you shall serve—the service, as a gift, I give the kehunah to you, and the commoner who approaches shall be killed.”

Adonoy spoke to Aharon: “Behold I have given you the guarding of my terumah-gifts, and all the hallowed things of Bnei Yisroel, to you and your children I give them for consecration, as a portion forever.

This is yours from the most holy [that remain] from the fire, [of] all their sacrifices—their minchah-offerings, their sin-offerings and their guilt-offerings which they return to [before] Me shall be most holy to you and your sons.

You shall eat it in the supremely holy (place), every male may eat it—it shall be holy to you.

Their terumah-gift is yours, of all of the wave-offerings of Bnei Yisroel I give to you and to your sons and daughters that are with you as an everlasting portion; all those ritually pure in your house may eat it.

The best of the oil, and the best of the wine and grain—their terumah-gift that they present to Adonoy—I have given to you.

The first fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring before Adonoy, shall be yours; all those ritually pure in your house may eat it.

Everything consecrated in Israel shall be yours.

Every firstling [all that open the womb] of every being which they offer before Adonoy—man or beast—shall be yours; but you must redeem the firstborn of man and redeem the firstborn of unclean beasts.

Its redemption—from a month old you should redeem them—the valuation is five silver sela’im of holy silver shekalim which is twenty gerah.

However, a firstborn ox, a firstborn sheep or firstborn goat do not redeem because they are holy; sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fats as a fire-offering as a pleasing fragrance to [accepted with pleasure before] Adonoy.

Their flesh is yours; like the breast which is waved and like the right thigh—it shall be yours.

All of the sacred terumah-gifts that Bnei Yisroel offer to Adonoy, I have given to you, your sons and daughters with you as an everlasting portion; an eternal covenant of salt before Adonoy to you and your children that are with you.”

Adonoy said to Aharon: “You will have no inheritance in their land, and you will not have a share among them; I am [the gift that I have given you is] your inheritance and portion among Bnei Yisroel.

Behold, I have given to the sons of Levi all the tithes in Israel for an inheritance in return for their service which they perform—the service of the Tent of Meeting.

Bnei Yisroel shall no longer approach the Tent of Meeting, to become guilty and die.

The Levi[tes]—[they] shall perform the service of the Tent of Meeting and they will bear their guilt; it is an everlasting decree—throughout your generations—among Bnei Yisroel they (the Levites) shall have no inheritance.

For the tithe of Bnei Yisroel which they must set aside to [before] Adonoy as a terumah-gift I gave to the Levites as an inheritance; therefore, I told them: ‘among Bnei Yisroel they shall have no inheritance.’”

Adonoy spoke to Moshe, saying:

“Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you take the tithe from Bnei Yisroel, which I gave you from them for your inheritance, set aside from it the terumah-gift of [separation before] Adonoy, a tithe of the tithe.

Your terumah-gift [separation] will be considered the same as grain from the granary and [wine and oil of] fully ripened fruit from the cistern.

So must you, too, set aside the terumah-gift of Adonoy from all your tithes which you take from Bnei Yisroel; give from them the terumah-gift of [separation before] Adonoy to Aharon the kohein.

From all your gifts you must set aside all of the terumah-gifts [separations] of Adonoy; from each thing—its finest part—the part that is to be consecrated.’

Say to them: ‘When you set aside the finest part of it, it will be considered for the Levites like the produce of the granary and the produce of the cistern.

You may consume it anywhere—you and [the members of] your household; since it is the reward for your service in the Tent of Meeting.

You will not bear a sin because of it, when you separate its best part; but sacred things of Bnei Yisroel you must not profane, and you will not die.”’